Rob
Walker has a feature in the latest issue of The New York Times Magazine.The story is about an April Fools' Day
joke product on the website ThinkGeek that generated such high customer demand,
ThinkGeek actually started selling it.

Every
April Fools' Day ThinkGeek, an online merchant, puts ridiculous products that
do not exist on its homepage.When
the customer clicks on the product, ThinkGeek wishes them a happy April Fools'
Day.

The
story is a consumer report, focusing on ThinkGeek's innovative products.

Walker focuses on
the latest product in demand, the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag.A Tauntaun is the mythical creature
Luke Skywalker climbs inside to stay warm in the film, "The Empire Strikes
Back."

The
sleeping bag first appeared as a joke last April and is currently in full
production.

I
like how Walker relates the demand for ThinkGeek's unconventional items to
their innovative product development techniques, yet I want to hear more about
their products' actual sales numbers.

Hanna Rosin has a featurein the
latest issue of The Atlantic.The story is about the prosperity gospel and its connections
to the current economic crisis.

The
prosperity gospel is a relatively recent Christian theology, which states that
God rewards true believers with earthly wealth and prosperity.

Rosin
focuses mainly on a pastor named Fernando Garay from Charlottesville, Va.Garay preaches to his congregation of
Latino immigrants saying, "The blessings are looking for you!God will take care of you.God will not let you be without a
home."

This
story is a trend piece, focusing on the rise of the prosperity gospel and its
ties to the current economic crisis.

Rosin
explains that 43 percent of Christians in a Pew Poll believed in the prosperity
gospel, and that this 43 percent consisted of the demographics most likely to
make the risky investments that caused the economic crisis.

The
strongest part of the story is the author's selection of quotes from
Garay.Garay's statements display that
his outlook on the connection between faith and wealth is far from realistic
and has caused apparent financial harm to the people of his congregation.

My
only criticism is that Rosin provides no counter argument.She places most of the blame on the
individuals that made bad investments, rather than the policy makers that
allowed these investments to occur.

A
feature in the latest issue of The New York Times Magazine
examines American women's ongoing fascination with Sarah Palin.

The
feature, written by Lisa Belkin, tracks women's opinions of Palin from her
first political appearance to her current book tour.

I
consider this feature to be a trend piece.Even though it discusses women's reactions to Palin, its
true focus is how these reactions have developed over time.

Belkin
concludes that many American women love to hate Palin.Her outlandish statements and persona
fascinate them, yet they hate that her unintelligible statements and far right
policies are the current representation of women in American politics.

I
think the feature flows well and makes good comparisons between Palin's rise to
stardom and a high school popularity contest.

My
criticism is that Belkin's quotes are sparse and do not contribute much to the
story.

The
Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that a St. Paul man lied to police about
having knee surgery, in an attempt to avoid burglary charges.

A
burglary occurred at a Grant Avenue gallery Friday night.St. Paul K-9 officers chased the
suspect to an apartment complex.

They
found John Howard Schlesky, 48, sitting in a wheelchair in the
apartment. He explained to police that he just had knee surgery, so he couldn't
be the suspect, said Sgt. Paul Schnell, a spokesman for the St. Paul police.

Police
discovered clothing in Schlesky's apartment that had the gallery's tags.He was then arrested on the charge of
third degree burglary, according to the criminal complaint from Monday.

Along
with items from the gallery, police found other stolen goods in Schlesky's
apartment, according to the complaint and Schnell.

Schlesky
was convicted of attempted burglary in1984, burglary in 1992 and 2002, felony
theft in 1987 and 2001, as well as theft of a motor vehicle in 2001, according
to state court records.

The New York Times reported Tuesday
that Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said an official
agreement has not yet been made with Palestinian militant group Hamas to
release an Israeli soldier in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

"There
is still no deal, and I do not know if there will be one," Netanyahu said.

The
Israeli soldier in question is Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit.Hamas and other Palestinian militant
groups captured Shalit during a border assault in June 2006.

Many
Israelis have mixed feelings about the potential deal.There is a decisive public consensus to
have Shalit set free, but the mass release of convicted suicide bombers may be
too high a price.

The
potential release of Palestinian militant leaders Marwan Barghouti, a prominent
Fatah leader, and Ahmad Saadat, a leader of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, complicates the deal further.

If
the exchange is to occur, Netanyahu said, "We will not be sparing with public
discussion.We will not do it as a
fait accompli.We will allow the
cabinet ministers and the public in general to discuss the issue."

The Associated Press reportedTuesday that President Obama and the prime minister of India reached agreement
on issues of security and economic development, while maintaining their
differences on climate change.

Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh was the Obama administration's first official
state visitor.

Both
leaders agreed that improved relations between India and Pakistan would bring
much needed security to the region."We both recognize that our core goal is to achieve peace and security
for all peoples in the region, not just one country or the other," Obama said.

Obama
expressed interest in strengthening the U.S. and India's long-held trading
relationship.Furthering trade relations
would bring job growth to both nations, Obama said.

Obama
and Singh maintained their differing views on climate change.Obama, along with European leaders
believe that all nations are obligated to reduce carbon emissions. Singh
and leaders of developing countries claim that wealthy nations emitted the vast
majority of greenhouse gases during the industrial revolution and should be
responsible for amending their errors.